CHICAGO (July 4, 2002)— The newest kid on the anime block is pulling out the big guns! Anime Reactor, a premiere convention that aims to bridge Japanese Anime and American comic book cultures, has secured manga legend Kia Asamiya as its first guest.

“It is an honor to have Kia Asamiya as our first announced Anime Reactor guest,” says Anime Reactor Executive Director James Alsup. “Fans of comics and anime hold him in the highest regard. He is one of the true revolutionaries in anime, and it is appropriate for him to serve as our flagship guest.”

Kia Asamiya is one of Japan’s premiere manga artists. He is internationally known for his work on the popular series Silent Mobius, Dark Angel and Steam Detectives. He continues to excite fans with his cover art for magazines and novels, as well as comic book adaptations of live-action movies, most recently, the manga version of “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.”

Asamiya is also the founder of the famous Studio Tron, and continues to publish cutting-edge manga works through various mediums. Steam Detectives, Gacha Gacha Evil-kun, and the manga version of Batman are currently published in Japan. He will share information with Anime Reactor guests about his new projects, as well as participate in fan-oriented panel sessions.

Many other special guests announcements are in the works for Anime Reactor. Created for fans by fans, Anime Reactor reaches beyond current Anime trends to introduce emerging artists and premiere Japanese Anime products. Creative fan panels, seminars, and social activities make Anime Reactor attractive to both new and experienced fans.

Launching in October 2003, Anime Reactor is striving to create the ultimate fan experience.

CHICAGO (December 13, 2002)— The newest kid on the anime block continues to pull out the big guns! Anime Reactor, a premiere convention that aims to bridge Japanese anime and American comic book cultures, has added manga stars Tsutomu Nihei and Tetsuya Aoki to its guest roster.

“Those who aren’t familiar with Nihei-san’s work will be blown away by his dynamic visuals,” says Anime Reactor Executive Director James Alsup. “Aoki-san’s wealth of experience in the Japanese toy and manga industries makes him a veritable fountain of information.”

Tsutomu Nihei’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi manga BLAME! debuted in Kodansha's “Afternoon” in January 1997 and garnered instant acclaim. BLAME! became a best-seller, running for four years, with a strong following in Asia and Europe. It has spawned an animated series, a live-action movie and an action figure line from Toycom. Nihei’s next manga work after BLAME! was the title NOISE, released in 2001. His newest series, DEADHEADS, debuted in “Afternoon” earlier this year. Nihei-san is currently working on a WOLVERINE project for Marvel Comics that is set for publication in 2003. Anime Reactor will be Nihei-san’s first North American convention appearance.

Tetsuya Aoki has been working at the Japanese design company Plex since 1990, and he currently participates in the planning and designing of TV character merchandise for Bandai. His work credits include production design for MASKED RIDER, POWER RANGERS, and ULTRAMAN. Before joining Plex, Mr. Aoki worked for Japanese toy manufacturer Takara, designing products for the popular TRANSFORMERS line of toys. Aoki-san’s first manga, ANGEL’S WING, debuted in 2002.

Created for fans by fans, Anime Reactor reaches beyond current Anime trends to introduce emerging artists and premiere Japanese anime products. Creative fan panels, seminars, and social activities make Anime Reactor attractive to both new and experienced fans.

CHICAGO (December 13, 2002)— Anime Reactor, a premiere convention that aims to bridge Japanese anime and American comic book cultures, is pleased to add C.B Cebulski, J. Torres, and Sanford Greene to its cavalcade of guests.

“Our first three American guests will definitely help us in our goal to bring the anime and comic book worlds together,” says Anime Reactor Executive Director James Alsup. “Anyone who has read J.’s work or seen Sanford’s art can tell that they’ve been influenced by anime. C.B. has worked behind the scenes in Japan and America for quite a while.”

C. B. Cebulski, an associate editor at Marvel Comics, has worked for years to help manga and anime secure a strong foothold in the American mainstream market. Cebulski was one of the first American editors to work directly with Japanese artists to create manga and anime product specifically for Western audiences. He has been instrumental in bringing manga titles like PLASTIC LITTLE, DARK ANGEL, and NADESICO to US audiences. Cebulski worked closely with Kia Asamiya to produce the DARK ANGEL: PHOENIX RESURRECTION comic book series, the first color manga to land on American shores in over 10 years. He also worked with such creators as Yoshitoshi ABe (Serial Experiments Lain) and Range Murata (Blue Submarine No. 6) on their critically acclaimed art collections.

J. Torres is a contributing writer to X-MEN UNLIMITED and the MANGAVERSE line for Marvel Comics. His other credits include SIDEKICKS, illustrated by Takeshi Miyazawa (2000 Harvey Award nominee for Best New Talent); the NANOBOTZ back-up feature in ROBO DOJO, published by DC/Wildstorm; as well as JASON & THE ARGOBOTS and ALISON DARE (2001 Eisner Award nominee for Best All-Ages Series) published by Oni Press. Torres was born in Manila, Philippines, raised in Montreal, Canada, and currently resides in Toronto.

Sanford Greene is a relative newcomer to the industry. His credits include work on STAR WARS TALES, PLANET OF THE APES, G.I. JOE BATTLEFILES, and THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN. Sanford has also served as the character designer for EXALTED by White Wolf Games. Anime Reactor will be Sanford’s first US anime convention appearance.

Created for fans by fans, Anime Reactor reaches beyond current Anime trends to introduce emerging artists and premiere Japanese anime products. Creative fan panels, seminars, and social activities make Anime Reactor attractive to both new and experienced fans.

Hmm...I wasn't going to have any new cosplays for the end of the season stuff....but maybe I should aim to get my Dark done this year, huh? I've never thought to match my cosplays to guests before. I usually don't care about the guests. O_o

And I will absolutely be at Anime Reactor, several of my friends are staff and I'd be going anyway (if for no other reason than to continue my tradition of stalking Kia Asamiya). ^^ Well and I love BLAME! (Lovely art, unique world, etc.)

Yep, it was going to be one for next year technically. I hadn't even really started trying to get a group yet. But this seems far too perfect an opportunity to waste.
...except now I'll be all mega-self-conscious. I have to be perfect. ^_-* Luckily, there shall be a nice gap from after Otakon where I'll probably be going through costume-making withdrawal any way.